Wednesday, 4 June 2014

We shoud reward the support team too, says BAM deputy

BAM deputy president Datuk Norza Zakaria (front) giving a pep talk to the Thomas Cup team in New Delhi. - filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a proposal for the Badminton Association of
Malaysia (BAM) to reward the unsung personnel behind Malaysia’s strong
performances at the Thomas Cup Finals in New Delhi recently.

Malaysia’s team led by world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei went down fighting to
Japan 2-3 in a six-hour thrilling final tie on May 25 - the final was
the nation’s first in 12 years.

For finishing as the runners-up, Chong Wei and every other player in the
team - Chong Wei Feng, Liew Daren, Goh Soon Huat, Tan Boon Heong-Hoon
Thien How, Tan Wee Kiong-Goh V Shem and Chan Peng Soon, is entitled to
receive RM25,000 each under the national body’s incentive scheme.

On Monday, deputy president Datuk Norza Zakaria said that he had
suggested that BAM appreciate all the hard work put in by the coaches
and National Sports Institute (NSI) too during the Finals.

Currently, there is no special incentive scheme for the coaches and
Norza feels that the support staff deserve a pat on the back for their
part in the success of the team.

“I was there (in New Delhi) throughout the competition and I saw all the
activities behind the scenes. I saw how the coaches rallied behind all
the players and the sacrifices made in preparing the team. I also saw
the dedication shown by the NSI team,” said Norza.

“They worked together as a team and it was this unity that saw our team
going all the way to the final. I am so proud of the whole group. They
were not expected to go far but they defied the odds.

“I have put forward this idea to our president (Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel
Tengku Ariff) and hopefully, the national body will look into this,” he
added.